10 Wireless Home Network Security Tips

It has never been easier and better! You can now take your laptop, mobile phone, tablet or whatever you use and find the best place in your house, apartment or garden to do your stuff.

All this is made possible thanks to the ability of transmitting information not just using network cables, but also by using the radio medium and different systems which have been developed for years. So today Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), Wi-Fi etc., allow you to have internet access at broadband speed.

 The idea of wireless network is not just for house usage, wireless network has been expanding in all possible sectors, as it has much more advantages than wired network. However, the idea of letting information ”fly” in an open environment to reach a near access point using electromagnetic waves is not totally without consequences. In an environment where everybody can have access, with latest high-performance equipment, your information can end up in others hands. So of course there are some things to be concerned about, this is why extra security precautions should be taken when setting up your home wireless network.

1. Stay updated

In addition, besides the operating system that you have installed on the computer you also have the operating system of the router which is called firmware. Depending on your router’s manufacture you can download and install updates which are useful to protect your router and fix security vulnerabilities in the hardware. Also all devices like PC, laptop, smartphone etc., which are connected to the internet, should be check for possible updates, in this way no devices are vulnerable to security issues. Furthermore, there are some software programs which will automatically connect and update to protect against known risks.

2. Change the default names

All used access points and routers have default names which are given from manufactures at the factory. These names are presented as a “Service Set Identifier” (SSID) or “Extended Service Set Identifier” (ESSID) and usually are given according to the company policy. Leaving them named this way will make your router and other devices more vulnerable to hacking, because these kinds of names are very familiar for everyone and are very sensitive points making hackers gain information and break into your network. Changing them and creating more complex names with letters, numbers and symbols, will result in unique names which won’t be easily guessed by others.

3. Change the default passwords

Same as SSID default names, the default administrator password of the router also should be changed. This password is used to access the setup and configuration settings, so its role in accessing your network is fundamental. Creating a strong and long password would protect your router and your network.

5. Turn firewalls ON

Routers usually have built-in firewall capability which is an added protection for your router. The existed option to turn them ON should always be used. However, firewalls do not prevent hackers who are inside of our wireless signal coverage; it only prevents hackers on the internet from getting access to your PC. Therefore, you have to install firewalls in each device that you connect in network.

4. Filter MAC addresses

Every device, in order to have access to network, should possess a unique network adapter which is called Physical Address or MAC address. This is provided by manufactures. Usually these kinds of names are given according to a manufacture’s method, so no one can have influence or change them after the production. This feature is used by the filtering method called MAC address filtering, which allows limiting number of known MAC addresses to have access on your router. In this way other devices with other MAC addresses are not able to use your router. Of course thanks to hackers, they can always create false MAC addresses profile in network; however, the probability that they will guess your MAC address list is very small.

6. Don’t be famous

You are in a café using your laptop, and you have your wireless mode on because you want to be connected to network. In your monitor you see different SSIDs that you can choose to be connected with. Same happens with your home router SSID if you leave it on in a broadcast mode. To reduce possibility to be attacked from others who wants to log in in your home network, you must disable the SSID broadcast feature. In this way no one will see your SSID in public. It should be taken as an advice not to be connected to neighbor's router, because all what you transmit first goes to neighbor’s router, who maybe is very happy to have this information.

7. Find an appropriate position for your router

With the latest very developed devices, hackers just need to take a position inside your wireless signal coverage so they can have your radio signals in a power level that is enough to capture. This is the reason why it is preferable to put your access point or routers near the center of your house/apartment and not near the windows or other corners of home, so most of the signal power level will stay inside your home.

8. Disable remote administration

Administration of router can be done also remotely; this feature is created for big companies or businesses which require this kind of services. However, this is not preferable to let your home router remotely administrable, because everyone from internet can gain access to your router and your network.

9. Encryption

The biggest protections against hackers created during years are strong and complex encryption technologies which are used to hide/encode the real content of information sent form source device to router and in its way to destination. The ability to use such forms is when we put router encryption on. Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) are some very know forms for wireless network. Which form is the best solution depend on the application, WPA2 is the strongest one and WEP is older and is not considered secure, however, is better than none at all.

10. Turn off

Today it is not conceivable to live without wireless access; however, sometimes we just do not use it. It is recommended that during this time to turn the network off. Also if the wired network is used, wireless router can be turn off. This will most certainly prevent outside hackers.

Conclusion

Data protection has become very important in everyday life, and there are different institutions/organizations always incorporated in these issues. Moreover, there are already a lot of standards which have standardized different aspect of data security protection. Although, despite required knowledge that ordinary people might have, the most preferable is to have trained and certified staff inside wireless communication service providers that will know how to inform and protect users about these issues.

Professional Evaluation and Certification Board (PECB) is a certification body for persons on a wide range of professional standards. It offers ISO 27001, ISO 29100 and ISO 20000 training and certification services for professionals wanting to support organizations on the implementation of these management systems.

ISO Standards and Professional Trainings offered by PECB:

• Certified Lead Implementer (5 days)
• Certified Lead Auditor (5 days)
• Certified Foundation (2 days)
• ISO Introduction (1 day)

Rreze Halili is the Technology, Security and Continuity (TSC) Product Manager at PECB. She is in charge of developing and maintaining training courses related to TSC. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact: training@pecb.com. 

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